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While Colorado football quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been called ‘great' by his father, in the eyes of NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr, he believes Sanders is still a top quarterback but doesn't have the talent of 2024 No. 2 overall pick, Jayden Daniels.
“Shedeur Sanders kind of is that guy, but Shedeur Sanders isn’t the talent that Jayden Daniels is,” Kiper Jr. said via the First Draft Podcast. “He isn’t going to be able to beat you with his legs and do things running with the football that Jayden can, not even close. But Shedeur in that pocket, every game they have coming up, Shedeur should be able to compete with that team in the trenches.”
The difference between Daniels and Sanders isn't too vast. Both have excellent arms, are accurate passers, and have good pocket awareness. However, one of the main discrepancies is the athleticism. Although Daniels didn't participate in the NFL Combine, it was rumored that he ran a 4.25 40-yard dash. That time would mark the fifth fastest in league history. On the flip side, Sanders is estimated to have a 4.65 40-yard dash. While the time itself is solid for a quarterback, that's a big difference between a truly mobile.
What's Mel Kiper Jr's reason behind not comparing Colorado football's Shedeur Sanders and Jayden Daniels?
Some NFL quarterbacks are elusive but do not have pure speed. For example, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and CJ Stroud are elusive quarterbacks who present a dual-threat option. They're not the most natural athletes like Daniels but can get out in space and run. Sanders falls into that category of making a play with his legs but not overly relying on his speed.
Daniels was compared to Lamar Jackson ahead of their Week 6 matchup due to their similar athletic ability. Regardless, both Sanders and Daniels share similar fundamentals and intangibles. When comparing the two side by side, Kiper explained why he still views Sanders as the first quarterback taken off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“So Shedeur is the one I’m evaluating as QB1 right now,” Kiper Jr. said. “Can somebody catch him, sure they can. We mentioned all the different guys that can. (Quinn) Ewers is going to be back on the field, we’ll see what Quinn can do at Texas. But right now I think it’s still Shedeur, Cam Ward interesting, (Jalen) Milroe interesting. It’s still a race to that finish line, but to say this year we’re finding another Jayden Daniels, not yet, and I don’t know if we will.”
Sanders has the chance to cement his status as the consensus No. 1 quarterback if he continues his recent stretch of play.
